Overwhelmed?

I am in the beginning stages of working on a study I will be teaching at a fall weekend retreat tentatively called, “Get Over It! (Being an Overcomer in an Overwhelming World)” The theme will be taken from the letters to the churches in Revelations and the promises made to those who overcome.

Here is where I need your help.

I would be so grateful if you would list the top three things in your life which overwhelm you. I especially need to hear from the 40+ crowd as this is a season of life I have not yet experienced and could use your wisdom in. If you would like to email me privately, you certainly are welcome. I will not use your names in my teaching but may use some of your examples unless you ask me not to.

I’m begging you to come out of the closet on this one…I really need a well-rounded sample in order to feel this study will address the heartfelt needs of the different generations of women who are attending this conference….So far there will be girls there from 20-80!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great information I know you are going to lend me!

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Lisa,This week life in general seems to overwhelm me. But more specifically: 1. Meeting the needs of my children (home school, toilet training, play time with Mom) 2. Finding time to be alone with God 3. Maintaining the order of home.Blessings as you plan your conference.MiPa (age 39 with little kids–age 4 & 2)

1. Keeping up with the varying activities of our family. Right now our kids attend school in three different buildings. Next year we’ll have one in college, one in high school, one in middle school and one in elementary. YIKES! Also, my husband is a Creative Arts pastor and our life revolves around church activities (but you’ve already got that, right?).

2. Maintaining relationships and making yourself available for others is so important in my book, but takes time and I often feel I fail in this area.

3. Noticing and feeling the pain of others gets to me. There are so many needs and so much to pray for. It makes me feel helpless at times.

Hey Lisa!Three areas that continue to overwhelm me are 1)taking care of three children and molding them and shaping them according to God’s word 2) being the godly woman that God has called me to be, and the wife that my husband needs me to be, and manager of my home that I desperately need to be (3) finding balance between my extremes of Mary-ness and Martha-hood and sticking to a schedule! Between the three of these things, it’s easy to feel like I am drowning at times. But I know that as long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, he will not let the waves take me in!!I hope my answers help!! My prayers will be with you as you study and prepare. Hopefully you’ll get to share this one with us in bloggy land, too!!

Overcoming (I am 45 years old);1. Fear2. Insecurity3. Diabetes (my part in this is to lose weight and exercise consistantly).4. Being Lazy (even though I am currently working 2 jobs, I find myself getting lazy about things I need to do).5. Love (Loving myself first so then I can love God and others)- Love means not to be jealous of others and forgiving others being patient etc…sp the overcoming is to over come all the opposites of Love to get to Love.6. Fear of Man – I have come a long way but not totally there yet.7. Not being full of religion like the PHarisse’s but truly whole heartly loving God.8. Consistency – In the study of Gods word and spending the quiet time with Him (I do pray and read the word – the time where I am still and hearing His still small voice).9. Doing God’s will and not my will.10. Being a doer of God’s word and not a hearer only.

Here are a few things I feel overwhelmed with…1. Keeping my house clean with 4 young boys.2. Homeschooling 1 child, while sending 1 to school, and juggling my twin toddlers3. Being the best mom I can, I fail at this time and time again.

1. Balance. There’s so much to do. Learning to choose God’s BEST things instead of just the good things.2. Money3. The battle of the mind. All the things that the enemy throws our way to keep us off track. Insecurities, worry, fears, doubt, etc.

There are so many things I think women struggle with. I identify with many mothers when it comes to balancing the needs of family with that of my own needs. So here is my list1) Struggling to place God first in all things and not allowing busyness or distraction to get in the way.2) Being the godly wife, mother, friend, Bible Study teacher, sister… that is expected of me. 3) Battling constant fear. I have extreme fear of public speaking yet God has called me into Women’s Ministry. It is a daily struggle to be obedient to God in this area (as well as other areas) b/c I just want to listen to my flesh and take the easy way out. Ok those are just 3 I could list many more.God bless you in this endeavor siesta!Kim

Bobbie (over 60)Lots of things sometime overwhelm me. Since I have raised 4 boys and they all have homes of their own, I find I worry about them. Trying not to be the nosey mother is sometimes all I can handle. You see their mistakes but you have to learn to let them make them. I hope that I tried to put or let them put God in their lives and think maybe I failed. Also I’m not in the best of health and feel at times that I let God down because there is not much I can do. He has never failed me but I have failed him. I know I need to be more consciensious about my bible study and time in his word. I think as you get older you realize more and more your shortcomings. However, I know that without him I would be truly lost and absolutely miserable.

But! Here are the things that I consistently battle:1. Daily, consistent time with God. And I’d love part of it to be my own discovery of His Word, instead of always studying other people’s study.2. Balancing my own needs with the needs of my family. 3. Seeking God and his adventure for my life above comfort or what I want.

1. Submitting to my husband….and / or authority situations… God calls us to be servants… but because I am equating service and being taken advantage of… “Old flesh” I still struggle. Submitting does not mean I’m letting my husband “control” me.. it’s different… I need help!!

1). The feeling of loss during the “empty nesting” season of life.2). Parents health issues… now they seem so much more important to me. “Family history” has a new meaning to me. 3). Being a Godly wife in the midst of hormones going crazy!

Top three things that overwhelm me (not in any particular order, they are all equally overwhelming): 1) Finances; 2) Parenting; 3) My spiritual state and my relationship with God and fellow believers.That’s it in a nutshell. Just for the record, I’m 34 years old, mother of 3, and I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. I love your blog and I visit frequently. I’m also a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of Diet Coke.

Top three things that overwhelm me (not in any particular order, they are all equally overwhelming): 1) Finances; 2) Parenting; 3) My spiritual state and my relationship with God and fellow believers.That’s it in a nutshell. Just for the record, I’m 34 years old, mother of 3, and I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. I love your blog and I visit frequently. I’m also a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE fan of Diet Coke.

For the college crew…1.Trying to balance relationships (God,family, friends old and new ones, roomates, classmates, boyfriends) it gets crazy and “girl drama” is the worst thing EVER!2. Class, grades, career path all that good stuff3.Trying to get everything done and still have time for fun

1. Raising a daughter in this world. I am constantly in fear of what could happen. 2. I am in a constant battle in my mind with wanting more stuff and comparing myself to others. I know it’s wrong, which is why it’s something I struggle with. 3. Finding time for my quiet time with a baby girl and working.

Being over 40, I guess I have to leave my list! LOL!1)Changes. In life situations. All changes seem more difficult to handle now than they did when I was younger.2)Changes. Getting used to children growing up and leaving home.3)Changes. In the body! Hormones and all that.

Me, me, me!!!! I fit your profile. I am overwhelmed…and over 40!You know the funny thing is that everyone is telling you “when your children are all grown up, you have so much time on hand you don’t know what to do with it…”. Huh? Okay, maybe I lost the time somewhere, but I sure don’t have any extra time…

So, not having the time for all the things I really, really would like to do is overwhelming me. My husband wants to spend time with me, I want to read books (which I need time for), I want to be more encouraging to younger women online…need time for that too. Really, Lisa, the time factor is huge to me and gets me quite frazzled why I do not have the time…Does that even make sense what I am rambling about???? The only time I truly make on a daily basis is spending time in His Word and that keeps me at least a little in line–time wise.

I know that the ladies you will be leading will be blessed beyond belief.

I’m 51, single for 12 years with three adult children, one precious grandson and a demanding career. My love for the Lord and my commitment to follow Him is unwavering. And when I’m overwhelmed my perspective gets skewed so I try to avoid that state of being… LOL But this is real life and it happens.

I’m 51, single for 12 years with three adult children, one precious grandson and a demanding career. My love for the Lord and my commitment to follow Him is unwavering. And when I’m overwhelmed my perspective gets skewed so I try to avoid that state of being… LOL But this is real life and it happens.

Oh my do I have to limit it to 3 things…….I was thinking of 20-25 things that overwhelm me!! LOL!I have 2 kids, work full time as a teacher and am 43. So here is my list

find time to spending with God and then being able to focus when I do.(last spring I taught a class for about 60 ladies at my church, I did a survey and asked what keeps them from spending time with the Lord…the #1 answer from 85% of the women was, they can’t focus, they are distracted easily during prayer etc……so I realized I am not the only one!)

energy……..emotions…..hormone issues ( this is so not fun!)

time……I need 36 hours in a day

keeping up with busy kids and a busy hubby, and trying to organize schedules, activities etc.

keepin up with the housework, yard work, cooking, cleaning etc.

finding time for family devotions

finding time to spend alone time with hubby.

deciding what kind of chocolate I should eat when I am stressed out……..ooops sorry that one slipped in

I could go on, but that is the bulk of it.

Great idea for a teaching, I think it’s so important to address the practical side of living for the Lord and giving hands on suggestions to ladies, so this sounds like what you are trying to do.

When I teach a lesson sometimes I will say it’s “PAP” time ladies…………..meaning it’s the time in the lesson for a “practical application party!” The ladies get a kick out of that one! :)

glad to be helpful with the “over 40 perspective!” i’m almost 46! i guess some major concerns at this stage of life are:1. i’ve had a good friend become a widow. her husband’s death was very unexpected. i tell her “everything’s going to be fine,” but what if it happened to us? 2. as my children get older, i worry about whether they’ll carry their faith with them. i hope that we haven’t created any bitterness in them towards “the church,” because we’re so involved in leadership.

2.The never ending battles I have with my sons insurance as they deny and reduce quantities of many medical items and pieces of equipement that are necessary. This is a constant battle that never ends and I can honestly say they have scored many more wins than I.

3. The montly battles with The Department of Job and Family Services trying to squeeze Jophies adoption assistance out of them. It’s nothing for them to be 2-3 months behind with his payment. Currently I’m fighting for July and today the battle begins for August.

4. Daily I stand toe to toe with the reality that my son could die this day.

5. Watching my child in pain and or suffering.

I do pick and choose my battles and have made it a rule to NEVER fight for everything in the same day lest it surely drive me mad! LOL